Casting is a metal forming technique that involves pouring molten metal into a hollow cavity of a mold, where the cavity is the negative of the desired part shape. As the molten metal cools in the cavity, it solidifies and may then be separated from the mold as a solid part. The casting process may be used to form relatively complex metal parts that may be uneconomical to produce by other methods. In particular, many complex automotive components, such as transmission cases and motor housings, may be fabricated through a casting process.
During the casting process, air bubbles in the molten metal, defects in the mold, and/or excessive shrinkage during cooling may create pits or other surface flaws in the final part. If these flaws occur in a sufficiently thin region of a shell-like component used to contain a fluid, they may result in micro-leaks through the body of the casting. It has been found that a pore/hole as small as 8 μm may allow oil to leak out of a cast transmission case. Therefore, cast parts may be quality inspected and/or leak checked following the casting process to ensure that no micro-leaks/pores exist.
In an automated production line, flexibility and reconfigurability are desirable qualities. Rapid station reconfiguration may enable a production line to produce one part/component during a first shift, and an entirely different part/component in a second shift. Likewise, flexibility may allow for limited production runs using common capital equipment, which may reduce the overall expense associated with each respective part design.